How do you say yes in Chinese? In this post, we will teach you 18 ways to express agreement in Mandarin that will make you sound more like a native speaker.

If you’ve just started learning a new language, you probably aren’t yet equipped with a lot of ways to express agreement — the simple “yes” is likely to be your only option. Luckily, there’s no direct equivalent to the English “yes” in Chinese. In this post, we’re going to teach you 18 ways to express agreement in Mandarin that will immediately boost your confidence and make you sound more like a native speaker.

1. 是 – Shì

Used to confirm something. Typically, 是 is used in answers to questions that contain 是.

There’s also 是的 shì de, which is a very polite agreement that also expresses complaisance to the person you’re talking to. It’s more polite than 是, and more colloquial. The question will still contain 是.

A:这是你给我买的吗? zhè shì nǐ gěi wǒ mǎi de ma ? — Is this the thing you bought for me?
B:是的 shì de — Yes, it is.

2. 对 – duì.

Means “correct” in Chinese. It’s very similar to how “right” is used in English.

3.好 – hǎo

Similar to “good,” “fine,” and “OK.” This is the most common wayof saying “OK” or “good” as an agreement to a request.

4. 好的 – hǎo de

“OK”, “will do.” A polite agreement. You can hear 好的 from hotel staff or a server at a restaurant. It also means “I agree (with you).”

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Elena is a digital marketing manager who has been learning Chinese since 2012. She believes her family tree has Chinese roots, and whether she has Asian descent is one of the most frequently asked questions she gets. The expression 辛苦你了 is something she had always lacked in her native language. Elena’s favourite lesson on ChinesePod is “Fighting over the Bill”.

What a fantastic post! There really are many ways of expressing agreement in Chinese. my personal favourite? 没问题！Hey guys, why don’t you check out our blog over at http://www.talkingmandarin.com where you can download our Mandarin Chinese word and phrase builder for free 🙂 enjoy!

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